One Hell of a Trip
by MutantTwinkie
Summary: In which a stranger visits Earth, hell-bent on acquiring the whereabouts of Goku and the others, even if it takes getting through Goku's stubborn wife, Chi-Chi...
1. Chapter 1

_a/n – I apologize about any discrepancies you may see; please feel free to leave a review! Anyway, this idea came to me and wasn't intended to be anything more than a silly joke between my friend and I. So, as a result, I implore you, dear reader, to imagine for yourself why Bardock is alive and why his main goal is to hunt for the Goku and the others. Please enjoy!_

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_One Hell of a Trip_

"I-i'm s-sorry Chi-Chi, but Goku is...well..." Krillin stood before her doorstep, looking up mournfully at his friend's wife. He paused, drawing off into silence and for the second time wished he could be anywhere but here. Why was it always him that had to be the bearer of bad news? He bitterly mused. _Well, no time to whine now. Better just get this over with, _Krillin thought with a suppressed sigh. Raising his gaze to Chi-Chi's again, he was surprised to find her nearing tears.

"Oh, he's dead again isn't he?" She blurted out in a choked sob before he could speak. Taken back, he opened his mouth and quickly shut it.

Inhaling deep, Krillin explained, "Well no..but...actually we don't know." He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly, lowering his gaze. "He sorta...disappeared one day. Vegeta and Piccolo think he's just gone off training with Gohan and Goten-"

"He's taken my Gohan and Goten?!" Chi-Chi sobbed in despair, tears beginning to spill against her cheeks. "O-oh that, that stupid man!" She sniffed angrily, straightening her shoulders with a stubborn huff. "Thinking he can go whenever and wherever he pleases, and just waltz home half-dead and expect me to be okay with it?!"

Krillin stepped back, eyes wide in fear. Chuckling if only to ease the tension, he said with a tremor in his voice, "I-i'm s-sure they'll be fine...y-you know Goku, eh, w-why look at all the beatings he's taken before, and he was okay...sorta..."

"Well," Chi-Chi sniffed a final time, lifting her chin up defiantly. "if he thinks I'm just going to welcome him home with open arms, he's got another thing coming! How dare he take my sons, my precious sons.."

She gazed back at Krillin now, as if seeing him for the first time. "When my _husband _decides to show his face, pass along a message for me!" In a thick rush of anger, she slammed the door before him.

With a resounding bang, Krillin stumbled back, fearfully gazing at the shut door with wide eyes. Sighing, he stood back up and brushed himself off, muttering beneath his breath, "Good luck dealing with her later, Goku..."

Her anger faded as quickly as it came. Hands shaking, she viciously wiped away the brimming tears threatening to spill. Chi-Chi tried to tell herself it was just his nature, he always did this...she tried to summon the anger she felt before, and yet all she could muster was a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. With a low moan rising up from her chest, she collapsed against the door, shoulders heaving as she sobbed.

Why, why on earth did she marry that man? It wasn't as if she didn't love him, which she did. But it sometimes killed her to sit alone at home, knowing Goku was off fighting and saving the world at the risk of his own life. Chi-Chi leaned back, wiping the tears from her eyes. She had to be strong; it wasn't as if this was the first time Goku had done something like this. There had been plenty more times, to be sure. And most likely, plenty more to come, knowing her husband. An anguished cry ripped free from her throat, blurring her vision with tears. Couldn't she have married a normal man, who didn't have to fight or train every second of the day? Couldn't she have married a man who didn't get himself killed or potentially threaten the life of their son?

"Oh...get a hold of yourself..." She whispered softly beneath her breath, slowly raising her head to gaze around the household. Chi-Chi flinched, as if physically wounded...it felt like it, anyway, with the thought of an empty house for the rest of her life staring her in the face.

_Stop it. Now. You don't have time for this foolishness. _

Encouraged by this thought, she moved about the rest of day as if nothing had happened. As if she still had a family patiently waiting for her to cook dinner, or clean their clothes...draw a bath for them...

Evening fell, and she sat alone at the dinner table. She ate quickly and quietly, as if it was another chore on her list. Chi Chi looked up, gazing around at the empty table. She did not cry, but she did feel that familiar hollowness swell in the base of her throat.

"_Hey Chi Chi, is this all there is?" Goku asked, looking up expectantly as he set down his empty bowl. On cue, his stomach growled angrily. _

"_You've already had how many servings of food, Goku!" Chi-Chi cried out in exasperation, trying to hide the small smile on her face. "It's a wonder you aren't fat, the way you eat." _

"_Aw, c'mon, give me a break! I get hungry!" Goku laughed, a hopeful smile on his face as he glanced over the empty dinner plates again. "You sure there isn't anything left?"_

She chuckled at the memory, fondly glancing at her husband's usual seat at the table. "Oh, Goku..." She sighed wistfully, wondering where the times had gone. And unfortunately, in her reminiscing, her food had grown cold. Sighing in disappoint, but knowing she wouldn't have eaten it anyway if it were warm, Chi-Chi stood up.

With the dishes taken care of, she moved slowly through the house and to her bedroom, deciding there wasn't much else left to do but let her thoughts fester.

Dressing herself into her nightgown, she slipped beneath the thick blanket and tried to ignore the pressing weight in the back of throat. She tried to ignore the single tear running lone down her cheek, staining the pillow as she shut her eyes to rest.

The sun shone brightly in his eyes as he stepped from the battered spaceship. Swearing beneath his breath, he raised his hand and glanced around the forest he found himself in. "So," Bardock mused with a scornful tone, "this is Earth, huh?"

Pressing a button on his scouter, he was unsurprised the planet lacking anyone of substantial power.

"That bastard better not have lead me on a wild goose chase..." He growled, wrapping his tail around his waist as he sauntered forward. "I've wasted enough time getting here as it is."

Glancing about again with a scan of his scouter, he swore again. "Saiyans on planet Earth my ass." Bardock muttered, heaving a weary sigh. "Damn it, what now..."

Birds chirped above him, flittering about amongst their flock and whistling happily. The whole place was sickening. Was this the planet his youngest son was sent to? Unconcerned, he set the thought aside and soared up easily through the sky.

"Couldn't hurt to have a look around, I guess...not that it'll do me much good." Another sigh, and he shot off through the air and into the distance.

Daylight broke through the curtains. It was time to face the day again, Chi-Chi mused bitterly. She curled herself deeper into the bed, burying her face into the pillow with a moan. It smelled just like Goku; musky like a normal guy smell, yet with the undertone of the outdoors and strangely, sweat. A weak smile broke across her face as memories of her marriage flooded her; memories of the small, tender moments Goku displayed just as she thought he was the most irritatingly unromantic man on the face of the earth.

"_Aren't you daddy's little boy?" Goku cooed, holding the baby Gohan with his signature grin on his face. "Yes you are! You're daddy's little warrior, huh?" _

_Chi-Chi stood next to him, smiling the way only a new parent could. Yet, with a stern look, she swatted Goku's arm and gently scooped her son from his hands. _

"_Our little boy is going to be a scholar, not a warrior." Chi-Chi said firmly. Her resolved broke as she glanced down at the large, dark eyes of her son. "Aren't you, my precious little boy?" _

_Goku chuckled as he moved behind her, placing his hand on her arm as he rested his chin her shoulder. He kissed the base of her neck gently, moving his hands down around her waist. _

"_Our little warrior." He whispered in her ear, a gentle smile captivating his face as he gazed down at his newborn son. _

Even now, years later, she still could feel the familiar warm blush steal across her face. Despite his apparent naivety, he could be romantic at times. Maybe not as frequent as Chi-Chi would've liked, but it was enough to remind her that her husband wasn't as bone-headed as he appeared.

"Oh, what am I doing?" She wearily sighed, rolling over to stare absently at the ceiling. "Laying here moping about in self-pity...yes, Goku's gone...mostly likely dead, and your children are gone but that doesn't mean you can just give up, Chi-Chi." She scolded herself, sitting up briskly in her bed. She gazed out at the window, thinking how Goku would've enjoyed today. The sun was lazily peaking its head above the horizon, spreading brilliant red and gold across the skyline. A blush stole across her cheeks as she imagine him rolling over lazily in the bed, draping his arm over her waist as he would snuggle back into sleep. She would blush, giggle a bit and tell him she had work to do. He'd grin at her, tightening his grip enough to pull her towards him. His hands would begin to stray, and she'd swat at him and tease him some more before he would relent and let her up.

"Oh...Goku..." She quietly whispered, her eyes watering up with tears as she tried to ignore the fact that he could be bleeding to death on some foreign planet, or fighting a losing battle that would have him killed and send the Z Fighters and planet earth into a frenzied fear of impending doom.

Unable to take the thoughts roaring through her mind, she swept to her feet and forced herself to think of _anything_ but her husband's cold, dead body floating through space or lying face-down in the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"_Come on Chi-Chi, you've been stuck at home for months now! It couldn't hurt to have a little girls night out, could it?" _

Chi-Chi sighed, cradling the phone against her shoulder as she hung up the linens on the clothesline. With a breeze stirring the pesky sheet, she spoke into the phone, "I don't know, Bulma..."

The other woman sighed, briskly chirping as carefree as possible, _"Oh, you've been with the man enough to know he'll bounce back eventually. Tonight is about us! Enough worrying about Goku and the kids."_

"Maybe some other time, Bulma, I just don't feel up to it tonight." On any other occasion she would jump all over the opportunity to get out of the house and have a night of fun. Yet, despite this, the thought of dressing up to go out seemed like a daunting task. The most she wanted to do was enjoy the day in the comfort and privacy of her home, no matter how lonely it could be.

"_Oh come on! Don't be a boring stick-in-the-mud. You can stay home as long as you want when Goku's home; then maybe he can get Vegeta out of my hair for me. I swear, he's driving me crazy!"_

Bulma sighed, _"Anyway, you're going out with me. This is exactly what you need to get your mind off Goku; a nice night out on the town."_

Chi-Chi smiled despite herself, pausing in her work to adjust the phone up to her ear.

"You know, Bulma, you're right...I, we, deserve a night out."

"_Thats the spirit!"_ Bulma giggled. _"Come to Capsule Corp. around 8 or so, and dress up too; we're going out to catch us some guys!"_

"We're married, Bulma!"

"_Oh, what our husbands don't know won't hurt 'em."_

He bit into the strange fruit, juice dripping against his chin as he surveyed the seemingly never-ending forest. Was there any intelligent life around here at all? Finishing the fruit, he tossed the remains away and stood up.

"This is getting me nowhere." Bardock growled, glaring around furiously. "I can't a single sign of intelligent life anywhere...this damn forest goes on for miles."

On cue, his stomach growled. Bitterly glaring at the fruit tree, he spat in disgust, "And there's no good food around here anywhere. Damn."

He pressed a button on his scouter again, glancing around in vain for a sign of something. Just about to throw the dumb thing into the next century, he growled, "There has to be something on this stupid rock of a planet. That or I've been lied to...which isn't surprising, actually."

Sighing, he floated slowly in the air. Was this all the planet had to offer, forests and more forests?

Just about to give up, he was overjoyed to hear the insistent beeping of his scouter as it picked up something. Reading it, he just about swore in disappointment. Whatever it was, it wasn't strong enough to be any sort of a threat...or be considered a Saiyan. Despite this fact, Bardock found himself out of ideas. He could roam this stupid rock for who knows how long looking for Saiyans and never find them, or ask and hopefully find some information on them. Yet again, he countered bitterly, the locals here might not know about Saiyans at all.

Torn, he paused mid-flight and gazed in the direction of the scouter's readings. Spitting in disgust at himself, he flew towards what he hoped to be someone or something who knew something about Saiyans.

_To Be Continued_


	2. Chapter 2

_a/n – Thank you for the reviews! I wasn't planning on updating it so soon, but I have a few pages of the story written out so I didn't see the harm in adding a second chapter. Please feel free to leave a review! Any comments are appreciated~_

_Enjoy_

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_One Hell of a Trip _

She traced the lipstick gently over her lips; puckering, she gazed thoughtfully at her work and deemed it suitable. Setting the lipstick down, she adjusted the slim-fitting dress with a happy glow to her cheeks.

Yes, Bulma was right, Chi-Chi thought to herself. This is what she needed; a night away from home. The dress was something she normally wouldn't wear. It was a low-cut, thin-strapped dress with a simple ribbon around her waist. The hemline fell just below her knees; she was married and had a decent set of morals, after back to admire her work, Chi-Chi was proud to find that she still was able to make herself look quite attractive.

"One last touch..." She murmured to herself as she gathered up her thick strands of hair. Twisting it around, she fastened it loosely, purposely pulling a few locks of hair to fall against the back of her neck. Satisfied with her appearance, she finished with a quick habitual adjustment of her hemline.

"Yes," She said to herself, checking the time with a sigh. "This is exactly what you-"

Just as she spoke, a loud crash sounded from the kitchen. Slightly stunned by the noise, Chi-Chi froze in her place, heart beating erratically. More crashes and thuds followed as the seconds ticked by; it sounded as if someone had broken into her house, and was now rummaging through the kitchen. _You can't be serious,_ Chi-Chi thought angrily; a perfectly good night to the dogs because some loser had to break into her house. Well, she mused as she clenched her fists, they wouldn't be leaving as easily as they had entered.

The food was good, he thought as he shoveled it aimlessly into his mouth. It was cold and tasted like it had been sitting here for a while, but Bardock was hungry enough that he could care less. He'd been flying in search of the power source he'd located on his scouter when hunger pains had suddenly struck him quite violently. It seemed this planet had no good food, as the most he'd had to tame his appetite was measly pieces of fruit that did little but tease him. Now this, however, was real food. It just so happened that the reading he'd gotten was around this area, too. Hopefully whoever it was lived here; it would be a big relief to kill two birds with one stone and find the Saiyans on this planet already.

Chewing through a cold piece of meat, Bardock had little time to react when a hefty frying pan caught him from behind. With a resounding ringing in his ears, he lurched over and clutched his now throbbing-skull with a string of curses. Whipping around, he found the source of his attacker to be a small-built woman with a frying pan and wearing what Bardock deemed to be formal wear, or just poor battle armor.

"What are you doing in my house?!" She shrieked, her chest heaving.

"What are you doing going around hitting people with frying pans?!" He shouted back angrily, standing up from his seat.

Glaring defiantly at him, she narrowed her eyes and spat, "Oh, so I'm supposed to welcome random strangers with open arms when they break into my house?" She raised the pan up over her shoulder, easing back into a familiar fighting stance as she hissed, "Get out of my house right now before I make you regret ever coming here!"

He chuckled low, his eyes flashing at the challenge. Bending down to her face, the Saiyan murmured mockingly, "Lucky for you, you caught me in a good mood...how about you put your little pan down before you hurt yourself, huh, sweetheart?"

Just before she could slam the large pan into him again, Bardock raised his hand and deflected it easily. With a knowing smirk on his face, he grabbed it from her hands and twisted the frying pan into a lump of warped metal. Taking great delight in the look of fear on her face, he stepped close to her, a small shaft of evening light casting over his face as he chuckled, "I warned you..."

Chi-Chi wasn't sure how she could be any more confused than she was right now. The strange, and violent, man before her was the spitting image of Goku. Dark hair that seemed to defy gravity as it spiked out, equally dark eyes and a weird choice of clothing that seemed eerily similar to Vegeta's outfit.

Eyes wide, she whispered fearfully, "G-goku...? Is that...is that you?" She reached out tentatively to him, her fingers gently resting on the scar that stretched along his right cheek.

Scowling, the man flicked her fingers away and glared at her, "I don't know who-"

Chi-Chi couldn't help herself. With tears brimming in her eyes, she cupped his face and sobbed, "Oh Goku, is that you? It's been so long what...what happened?"

Was this woman blind? Or just crazy? Sickened slightly at her display of tears, Bardock flinched away with a deepening scowl. "Look, lady, I have no idea-"

A sudden image filled his mind. His son, Kakarot, being sent off to Earth in the space pod. Living on Earth, it seemed, growing up...with the humans? What had happened to him? Had his son gone soft? What...what was this? Was he with some female Earthling? The vision faded, leaving him confused and filled with disgust at what had become of his son. As his mind cleared, one thought grabbed his attention. The woman in front of him...she looked strikingly familiar to the woman in his vision...

Finally, it seemed like fate was willing to deal him a lucky hand. And what better luck than having the wife of a Saiyan standing right in front of him, who surely knew the location of the other Saiyans. Crossing his arms over his chest, he gave the small woman a dark chuckle coupled with a grin of ill intent.

She took a step back from him, a slight note of fear behind her wide eyes. "Goku...?" She inquired with a note of panic in her voice.

Bardock tilted his chin up, his eyes wandering freely up and down her body, the way only a man who'd been without a woman for who knows how long could. A blush stained her cheeks as he scrutinized her, from her curved figure and down to the messy pile of her hair on top of her head.

"This Goku..." He said with a slight air of impatience as his fingers drummed against his bicep. "He's your husband, I take it?"

Chi-Chi stepped back again, her hand searching around uselessly behind her for some sort of weapon against him. Every inch of her screamed to get away from this creep; if only Goku was actually here, she mused bitterly.

"Why should that concern you?" She snapped back, a feeling of bravery washing over her.

In response, he laughed, as if she were a mere child. With his laughter dying off to a rumbling chuckle, he stepped forward and grabbed her arm in a solid grip. With her heart rate accelerating, she gazed up defiantly at him as he said, "Feisty little thing, aren't you?" Another chuckle. "As much as I want to mess around with you right now, I have a business to attend to...with some Saiyans."

He noted the recognition in her eyes, yet despite this confirmation, he still urged, "Ring a bell?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She spit at him, struggling against his grip.

Sighing, he tilted his head at her as he reprimanded her mockingly, "Are you trying to make this difficult? I'd really hate to mess up that pretty face of yours, but I have no reservations about forcing the information I want out of you."

"Why should I tell you, a stranger who breaks into my house, eats my food and threatens me?!" Chi-Chi hissed back, a violent look storming in her eyes. "I don't even know what a Saiyan is..."

"Something tells me that you do." He responded back, his eyes narrowing. Growing impatient, he grabbed her chin and lifted up her face to his and growled, "Just make this easier for the both of us and tell me what you know."

"Make me, you creep!" She yelled, her eyes wide and blazing in fury as she squirmed in his grasp.

His hand clenched her arm painfully; a violent look stormed in his eyes, yet as the anger swept over him, he snorted in disgust and shoved her into the chair behind him.

Folding his arms over his chest, he glared down at her with a shake of his head, as if he were thinking to himself. Chi-Chi fearfully glanced up at him, breathless and clenching her hands to the point she felt them shake under the pressure.

"How dare you manhandle me!" She gasped, lifting her chin defiantly.

He glanced down at her with a dark look, but said nothing. Sensing the tension, he absently flicked his tail as he sauntered around her to grab a hunk of roasted meat. Ripping a piece free, he stared down at her as he ate, his gaze never breaking hers.

"You're disgusting," She spat, her lip curling as she examined the sloppy way he devoured the food. "Were you raised in the wilderness or something?" She cried in protest.

He said nothing, wiping the side of his mouth with the back of his hand as he examined her through half-lidded eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as his hard gaze settled on her own; with remnants of food clung to his lips, Bardock swiped his thumb over his mouth and lazily commented, "Shouldn't take your husband too long to get here; with a pretty thing like you waiting for him, I imagine he'll be pitching himself a fit to get here...but for your sake, you better hope he gets here soon before I lose my patience."

His words took a dark edge; with the threat hanging silently in the air, she felt her resolve slip a bit. She had no idea how strong this man was; if he was anything like Goku, she stood no chance. Biting her lip, she glared over at his guarded expression and cursed herself for being so weak.

_Oh Goku...where are you when I need you? _

Bulma glanced anxiously at the clock; the time read a half an hour past 8. What could be keeping Chi-Chi? She sighed, placing her hands on her hips as her gaze slipped over to Vegeta, who lounged on the bed with a bored expression on his face.

"I wonder what's keeping her." Bulma thought aloud to herself, paying no heed to Vegeta's irritated look. The Saiyan grumbled to himself, muttering something along the lines of 'stupid earth women' as he buried his face into the pillow.

She rested her fingers absently against her chin as she glanced out the window. There was no reason for Chi-Chi to be late...Goku and the kids were gone, like always. It shouldn't still bother her, Bulma thought with a furrowed brow. But then again, dealing with Goku probably was a bit different than dealing with the indifferent Vegeta. She crossed her arms and huffed; in response, her bangs flew up and landed in a disorganized fashion against her forehead.

"Well, she could've at least called if she wasn't going to show up." Bulma said through gritted teeth.

Behind her, Vegeta glared at her as he was yet again roused from his sleep. Feeling his veins pulsate as a brewing headache formed between his temples, he angrily growled, "Will you quit talking to yourself already? I'm trying to get some sleep!"

"Oh get over yourself!" Bulma responded back tartly, throwing her hair over her shoulder in a haughty lift of her chin.

Clenching his jaw, he settled against the bed and slammed the pillow over his ears, muttering all the while.

"That's what I thought." She mumbled, absently toying with the necklace at the base of her throat. Worry set in as her thoughts continued to roam; there was no reason Chi-Chi would stand her up...especially with her family gone. Even if she had stood her up, Bulma figured she would've called in the very least. She'd think that Chi-Chi was a stickler about being polite, and she'd never imagine Chi-Chi throwing herself into disarray because her husband was gone yet again.

Sighing, Bulma swung her purse over her shoulder and smiled despite her worry. Yes, she understood what she was going through...the pain of being married to such nitwitted apes did drain on her from time to time. The least she could do was give her this moment, even if she felt a bit offended.

Straightening her shoulders, she turned on heel and strode to the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she cast a gaze to the slumbering Vegeta. His arms resolutely clutched the pillow over his head like a stubborn child; yet she could see his grip slowly draining as he fell deeper into sleep. Soft smile playing at her lips, she strode over and moved the pillow from his face.

He protested with a hard groan, his eyes fluttering open to glare at her in anger. "Leave me...alone..." He spat half-heartedly, his venom draining as his eyelids fell shut again.

Despite his insistent stubbornness, Bulma pulled the blanket over him and pecked his cheek gently. Yes, she supposed she had to love him despite how angry he made her. Breathing deep, she left the room to have what little fun she could have on this lonely night.

_To Be Continued_


	3. Chapter 3

_a/n – Thank you guys so much for reading thus far :D Don't forget to leave a review/favorite and I hope you guys enjoy~_

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_One Hell of a Trip_

The air whistled next to his head; he swung out of the way by mere instinct. A blow grazed his shoulder and he felt the powers converge on each other as they mounted their attack.

Grinning at the challenge, he braced himself as the blows became more and more erratic and violent. He balanced on the balls of his feet, swallowing each blow as if it were child's play. It didn't take long before he noticed a decrease in their power; sensing his chance, he waited for another attack, and then swung out for all he had.

He caught the attacker's fist in his hand, and then struck upward into their gut with the side of his foot. Without waiting, he released them and turned around to his right, deflecting the oncoming blows as best he could. With each hit clipping him more and more, he knew he wasn't going to be able to count on wearing his enemy out; they were smart and would wear him out before they would break a sweat.

Furrowing his brow in determination, he dodged the next attacks and hit at the next opening; feeling his fist connect with his opponent's ribs, he quickly moved around as fast as he could. A groan slipped from his opponent's lips and before they knew it, he landed a blow in the center of their back with the tip of his elbow, disabling them.

"Owie!" A soft moan sounded from his left. Squinting, Goku's eyes adjusted to the small form of his youngest son, Goten, who now stood up shakily on his feet and pouted at his father.

"Heh, sorry son." Goku apologized sheepishly, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "Guess I got a bit carried away."He glanced down at his oldest son, who now recovered enough to sit up, wearily rubbing at his back. Goku grinned despite himself, and reached down to help Gohan up. "You guys sure are strong though; just like your old man!" Goku declared with a note of pride in his voice; there wasn't much else he could do. They were both strong and knew how to fight, and yet the only thing they needed now was experience.

"Yeah well, we were taught well." Gohan said, grinning cheekily at his father. Goten, behind him, scampered up to stand beside his older brother.

Not as happy as his sibling, the young half-Saiyan grimly rubbed his stomach. Both a combination of hunger and pain ravaged him as he despondently pleaded with his father, "Can we go home now? I'm hungry and tired."

"I guess...there isn't much else we can do now. You both know how to fight already, and we're just wasting time out here training for no real reason." Goku said thoughtfully, scratching at the back of his head. The only other thing he could think of was training them in the gravity chamber; Gohan, he knew, didn't need the extra training, whereas Goten had little experience outside of his mother's teachings. While he was proud of his son and wife, he had a bit more to teach him before he was through. Though, glancing down at the pitiful expression on his face, he couldn't help but agree; his own stomach began to mournfully growl.

Gohan crossed his arms, chuckling, "Might as well stay the night as long as we're out here. We can make a fire and eat and head out in the morning."Goten stuck out his lip in protest, but didn't argue.

As the night wore on, the trio napped happily beneath the stars with a low firelight to accompany them. With heavy eyelids and a full stomach, Goku briefly gazed over at his slumbering sons. His brow furrowed slightly, as if he were lost in thought, yet the moment passed as quickly as it had come. With a deep sense of foreboding, he succumbed to sleep in the midnight hours.

She barely slept. How could she, with this monster of a man occupying her house, stalking her every move as he patiently waited the return of her husband who may or may not be alive? Nerves frayed, she lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she refused the comfort sleep may bring. Her stomach was twisted in knots, and even as her eyelids felt as heavy as lead, she couldn't possibly imagine sleeping.

Gripping the bedspread, she glanced at the door. He sat against the door, his arms and legs crossed as his head slumped over in sleep. His hair, which resembled Goku's in every way, hung in his eyes as snores gently rocked his slumbering frame.

What a strange man, she thought. She'd figured he'd beat the information he sought out of her, instead of stalking her in her home. It was almost as if he could care less how long it took, as if he had all the time in the world to waste waiting for a man who probably was going to take his sweet time coming home.

If was really careful, she might be able to escape now.

Chi-Chi dared a glanced over at the stranger, her breath caught. Could she get away with it? With him blocking the door, her only other option was out the window. But then again, something told her this man was more like Goku than she'd give him credit for.

She couldn't take the chance and fight him; there was no telling if how strong he was. He was a Saiyan after all, she noticed from his tail, and part of her knew Saiyans were supernaturally gifted in fighting. No, she resolved, she couldn't take the chance. Her best bet was to try and slip out the window.

Biting her lip, she gently cast the blankets off her body and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The bed groaned beneath her; it seemed to want to kill her, apparently.

Her heart rate accelerated; trying to reign in her breathing, she gently looked over her shoulder...and breathed out in relief.

The dumb man was snoring even harder now, it seemed.

Shakily, she stood and moved to the window. Her fingers fell over the worn wood, searching for the latch as if she could feel the Saiyan's breath on the back of her neck. Just to be sure, she glanced over at him with a trembling breath.

No. She couldn't be scared now. She could be scared when she was running for her life in the woods at night, since she couldn't fly...

This minor revelation brought tears of frustration to her eyes. Freedom was so close, yet so far away. She'd bet the Saiyan could fly, and would track her down in a heartbeat. It seemed pointless to escape now; either way he'd catch her and bring her back, and most likely punish her for leaving. But then again, what else could she do? Live in fear and desperately wait for Goku's return? There was no telling how long it would take, or if this man truly would lose his patience and take his anger out on her.

She had to go. There was a chance that he wouldn't know she was gone until much later, when she had the time needed to escape. Strengthening her resolve, she felt for the latch on the window and flicked it open. She held her breath as the window creaked open, hoping with all her might that he wouldn't wake up suddenly and grab her from behind.

Not daring a look behind her, Chi-Chi quietly crept onto the windowsill and slid her legs over the edge. With her luck as she'd turn around he'd wake up and yank her back into the room. She just had to trust he would stay asleep long enough for this to work.

She landed with a soft thud and didn't pause before she took off into the night. Reason told her she could just use the sky-car but there was a chance he'd hear it revving and come get her in an instant. No, she would just have to run for her life and hope she'd reach Capsule Corp sooner rather than later.

A breeze stirred through the air; birds chirped pleasantly as sunlight streamed in through the open window. Bardock opened his eyes, his vision focusing on the stream of light blasting through the open window. "Damn." Bardock growled, fearing the worst.

Sure enough, as he whipped to his feet and glanced over at the bed, she was gone. Likely escaped when he was asleep like the coward she was.

"Damn it! I had her!" He snarled, fist clenched as a furious wave overtook him. How could he be so stupid? He'd had her, the key to finding the Saiyans, and now because of his own incompetence, she was gone.

With his resolve hardening, he strode over to the open window. No enemy was perfect, Bardock mused. The key to beating any opponent is to watch and wait for them to slip up, then mount your assault at their weakest moment. And, with any luck, this was her slip up.

A dark grin curled over his lips as he surveyed the surrounding forested area from the window. Oh, she was running away from the big, scary Saiyan...and most likely, running straight to the other Saiyans to protect her. A chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. She might run, she might hide, but he'd find her eventually.

"Might as well give her some time to catch her breath, running for so long." Bardock mused with a twisted grin, his head tilting as he imagined the woman running in blind fear from him. Amused, he threw his head back and laughed long and hearty. Yes, he would enjoy this. Despite the initial turn of events, he was excited at the prospect of hunting her down, if only because sitting in a spaceship drifting aimlessly through the universe wore on one's mind considerably.

He pressed a button on his scouter, darkly pleased as a reading of a considerably small power level appeared a couple miles from the house. It was moving, but not very fast. Bardock shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"Time's up." He muttered beneath his breath, eyes glaring out over the horizon.

_To Be Continued _


	4. Chapter 4

_a/n - Sorry about the wait guys! I sorta lost all my inspiration...writers block, y'know xD apologies C: I had my doubts about this chapter...I truly was at a loss of where to go next plot-wise, but after some chats with a close friend on Facebook I decided to continue on instead of ending it here like I had originally intended. As always, please don't forget to favorite and review, I'd love to hear what you have to say ^-^ _

_Enjoy~_

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_One Hell of a Trip_

It bubbled and oozed against the glass; it seemed to breathe, Bulma noted with a quick scratch of her pen against the notepad. Her blue hair fell in strands before her eyes as she leaned over to the small glass casing that held the strange, apparently living, substance. It looked at first like oil, but it seemed to be rubber-like and plastic, the way it oozed and clung to itself.

She'd been in the park with her son having a simple picnic when she'd stumbled across the puddle of bubbling black ooze. Quietly sipping her soda, she'd been alerted by her son, who had been reaching for the black thing with a disturbing interest in his eyes. Pulling him back, she'd reprimanded him sharply before her attention had been absorbed in the pulsating, glowing puddle of whatever it was.

It moved! Bulma's eyes widened further, if it was possible; she'd been staring with rapt attention, having discovered the thing showed signs of life. Though all her tests she'd made had proved inconclusive; nothing showed up. Results were all across the board and therefore useless to her. The most she could rely on now was her own wit, and hopefully a miracle that could shed some light on this mysterious material.

"Bulma? Where's my dinner?" The growl of a certain grumpy Saiyan now reached her from her haze; glancing up, she saw him standing in the doorway, towel wrapped around his neck, sweat dripping down from his forehead.

"Oh, sorry Vegeta." She apologized, quickly holding her notepad against her chest with a small smile on her face. "I found something interesting in the park today with Trunks, and I just couldn't help myself- I've never seen anything like it before!"

Vegeta hissed impatiently, glancing over at the black lump with a scathing glare, knowing already dinner wouldn't be made that night. "So?" He said, crossing his arms over his chest with a further scathing glance in Bulma's direction.

Ignoring him, she turned to the glass container and bit her lower lip with a gleam in her eye as she murmured, "I've run so many tests on it and I can't find any concrete evidence on it...nothing at all! It's like it's from space, or something."

His attention was slightly caught by Bulma's words. He'd never seen anything like that before either; it was beyond his knowledge.

"It's just so fascinating...I thought it was some spilled oil, or something, but it I watched it for a while and it looks like its breathing, like a living thing. I tried to take a small sample, and it seemed to shrink away from me, like it could feel pain." She bit her lip again, a bit of worry and curiosity in her eyes as she glanced over at him. And, as if he had suddenly disappeared, Bulma began fervently scribbling down more notes, feet tapping against the ground in a steady pace.

Vegeta felt his patience dwindle more; clearing his throat with a clenching of his fists, he seared her with another one of his famous glares, which earned him a hearty thump on the arm as Bulma shot back another defiant look of her own.

"Excuse me, Vegeta, but you're a grown man; you can get your own food for crying out loud." Huffing, she moved her wayward hair behind her ear with a slight jutting of her chin, "I'm on the verge of a scientific breakthrough! There are more important things than you, you know." Happily claiming her victory in the minor spat, Bulma turned on heel, signaling the end of the discussion.

"There should be some leftovers from last night in the fridge you can heat up for you and Trunks." Bulma said, casting a stern glance over her shoulder, "Please, Vegeta, don't forget to feed Trunks this time. He is your son, after all."

"Dad?" Trunks spoke up with a note of curious amusement in his voice, "Is the food supposed to look burnt?"

Vegeta had tried his very best; no doubt about that. But of all the skills he had, cooking was not, and never would be, one of them. Staring in defeat at the black lump of what used to be roast beef, he rubbed his forehead with an impatient sigh. It was too late in the day for this type of grievance.

"Of course it is, Trunks." He sarcastically snipped, vengefully shoving the food into the trashcan. "Very well, I suppose we'll have to make something else." With a look that suggested a fierce determination, he strode to the fridge and swung open the door.

"No offense dad, but you're a pretty horrible cook," Trunks teased, a mischievous look twinkling in his eyes. "Why don't we just order pizza or something?"

"I am an adult Saiyan, Trunks, I am capable of great acts of power...I am sure cooking is not that complicated." Vegeta said through gritted teeth; he could feel his blood pressure rising at the thought of the simple act of cooking besting him. He had faced countless numbskull opponents throughout the years, been kicked, punched, stepped on, energy blasted; you name it, he probably suffered it. And yet he had still persevered through it, on a persistent quest to surpass Kakarot. He was not, would not, be bested by the simple act of cooking. Bulma did it, why couldn't he?

Trunks snickered quietly, resting his chin on his hands as he mumbled, "If you say so..."

As if to suggest that he knew his father was incapable of this mundane household chore, the young boy lifted the phone from its cradle and held it out to his father, as a final chance to accept defeat.

Vegeta hung his head; gripping the handle with a hiss, he seared the burnt mess with a glare that suggested he was having none of this crap. "I can do this!" He shouted, slamming the door shut with a lift of his head. Yes, he'd been through too much pain and suffering to fall down before such a..._womanly_ task.

Behind him, his son's faint laughter echoed his own foreboding sense of impending failure.

_I can do this..._

_I have to do this. _

Such thoughts echoed through her mind as the land stretched on endlessly before her; she'd been running as fast and hard as she could for quite a while now, only stopping when she physically could not run anymore. Yet even as her mind whispered assurances, told her there was no way he could find her now, the other part of her mind remained resolute in the simple fear that he knew where she was. That he was following her, carefully tracking her every move.

For her own sanity, she had to dismiss this thought. There was no way she'd be able to keep a cool head with that sort of panic-inducing idea buzzing around in her mind.

Yet, even as she'd dismissed it, stuck to the cold hard facts she thought to be true, she ran harder and faster than she needed to if she had truly believed she had outrun him.

She had to believe that he was long gone.

She had to believe that he wasn't breathing down her back; coolly surveying her futile attempts at escape like a cat stalks its prey...

_No, no...I can't think like that. Goku's always talking about how important it is to be hopeful, faithful, and I think he just might be right...I can't let myself panic._

She inhaled a crisp lungful of morning air and exhaled through her mouth; slowing her pace, she paused from her lengthy strides and looked around her. The mountains stretched out through the landscape like the roots of a tree; small inclines and hills poked up from the ground and left little room for a thick forest to inhabit. Off in the distance, however, she could spot the outcropping of a dense forested area.

As much as Chi-Chi wanted to duck and weave through the trees in the hopes of losing him in the case he was following, the path she needed to take was away from the forest. If she could reach the city, she could reach Bulma; hopefully her suspicions were right, and her husband was simply training with Vegeta or something...otherwise, she had no idea. If she had her skycar, she could've flown to Master Roshi's...but, in the hasty escape she'd made, there had been little time to snatch her vehicle.

Pressing a hand against her sweat-drenched forehead, she shifted her weight onto her hip; the cool breeze stirring across the open landscape twirled through her skirts, giving relief to the heat that seemed to choke her mercilessly. Luckily, she should, in theory, be near the city; she would find Goku and have him deal with the strange man that showed up in her house demanding the location of the Saiyans. He'd fight, save the day, and probably stay with her for a little while before something else would cause him to fly away, spitting excuses about the greater good of the world or some such nonsense.

While she didn't begrudge the safety of the world, was it too much to ask for a romantic dinner once in a while?

With a exhale that settled her wandering thoughts on the matter at hand, she glanced over at the horizon behind her. A small thorn of fear struck her, as if she expected a dark shape to be flying towards her. Of course, her fears were wasted, because there was a nary a hint that he was chasing after her. Or, if he was, he was hiding quite well. Feeling relieved, she focused her attention on the rough dirt path ahead of her. It still a long ways to go, but she'd figure she'd make it within a hour or so...hopefully.

Ducking her head and sucking in another lungful of air, she sprinted forward, continuing the long journey towards escape.

It hadn't surprised him. Though, really, with the dark and foreboding thoughts clouding his mind, it shouldn't have shocked him. Stranger things had happened, after all.

Soaring through the air at breakneck speed, Goku slowed his flight and gave quick glances at his sons. "Gohan, Goten, hold up a bit." He called out, his eyes narrowing as he confirmed what he'd suspected all along.

Both boys paused in their flight, eyes wide with concern. Gohan, especially, had caught on to Goku's anxiety quite early. With clenched fists, Gohan simply said, "You sense it, too."

Goku chuckled, briefly gazing over at his eldest son, "Yeah, I was hoping it would turn out to be nothing, but it's not looking too good." There was no denying it now; Goku, as well as his son, could sense the presence of evil on their humble planet. While it was not truly evil as, say, Freiza or some of his past enemies had been, there was no mistaking the dark intents midst the moderate power.

"Wait, sense what?" Piped up the youthfully innocent Goten, who couldn't quite grasp the sensitive power-sensing abilities his brother and father had so skillfully achieved.

"There's an evil power on the planet, Goten," Goku patiently explained his son with a light tone to his voice, despite the urgently pressing matters of an unknown evil being on earth. "And from the looks of it..." His voice trailed off abruptly; with tensed muscles and a hard clench of his jaw, the Saiyan looked positively on edge. Alarmed, Gohan glanced around, searching for the source of his father's fear.

"Dad? What is it?" Gohan said, a traceable streak of fear weaving through the stubborn hardness of his tone.

"Its...it's your mom," Goku said after a moment of silence, "the evil, I...I can sense it near her." His dark-eyed gazed settled on his son, though he seemed to absently stare past him as he said, "Its chasing her."

_To Be Continued _


	5. Chapter 5

_a/n – A big thanks to all those who reviewed- I sincerely enjoy reading what everyone has to say! :D Apologies about the wait; I'm currently busy with school and such, so finding the time to write is a bit tricky. Please, feel free to favorite or leave reviews, I really do appreciate them! Otherwise, please enjoy._

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_One Hell of a Trip_

"Excuse me, ma'am?" A soft, weathered hand gently rested on her shoulder as she leaned into the hard brick wall. Chest heaving in the effort to catch her breath, she'd failed to notice the old man walk up to her.

In a shaky voice, she forced a weak smile and brushed her sweat-soaked bangs from her face. "I'm fine, just ah…just a bit winded, that's all."

Flashing a polite smile, the man leaned in, undeterred and unconvinced by her abrupt answer, and quietly inquired, "Are you sure, ma'am?" Brushing aside her forming answer, he gently grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her in a slow walk forward, a peaceful smile about his face as he teasingly scolded, "A drink of water won't hurt, now will it?"

She opened her mouth to dissuade the old man, but her pleas were washed away by a careful flick of his wrist. With a stern but friendly look in his eyes, he insisted, "What kind of man would I be if I didn't help a lady in distress? There's a diner up ahead, you can sit and rest up there."

"I-I suppose," Chi-Chi finally said after a moment of thought, "but I really am in a hurry, uh, sir. I have someone to meet." The lies easily slipped off her tongue like water; but in her situation, she had little guilt about lying when a monster stalked her every move.

Thus far, she'd made it to the city with little trouble. Along the road, she'd met a kind young college student on his way to his classes that had offered to drive her downtown. With numb, shaking legs and clothes soaked in sweat, she'd happily agreed. Fearing for her life, she arrived in the city with no plan of what to do. Desperate, she scrambled to come up with some semblance of a plan; a plan that included hiding at Capsule Corp. until Goku returned or until she felt safe enough to go home. Both plans were unlikely, but she blamed her rushed planning on the desperation of her situation.

"Oh, you can spare a minute, can't you?" The old man asked with a light note in his voice, but the slight tightening of his mouth suggested he wasn't going to take no for an answer.  
It was then, with the gentle but insistent hold on her elbow guiding toward the nearby diner, that Chi-Chi truly felt the weight of her fatigue. Every muscle in her body seemed to strain against her, rebelling by sending hot throbs of pain shooting through her legs. Her shoulders slumped suddenly, as if she were a puppet whose strings were cut, and silently allowed the man to guide her.

Slumped tiredly against the cool leather booth, Chi-Chi hardly noticed or even cared the sharp stench of disinfectant in the air. Still accompanied by her elderly hero, she quietly sipped at her water and nibbled a bit at the meal he'd provided despite her protests. But, feeling rather sorry for the old lonely man, she'd complied and tried to put her mind at ease with little success.

"Are you enjoying yourself, my dear?" The old man inquired with a gentle smile, peering close as she dapped at the corners of her mouth with her napkin.

"Yes, I suppose so, but I really must be going-" She began to protest, daring a worried glance at the door, as if her stalker would charge in then and there.

"Oh, well, if you must…" The old man said, an obvious note of hurt in his voice as he turned to stare at his little wrinkled hands.

Torn, she took another sip of her water and glanced over at the door. "Thank you for the meal, I truly do appreciate it, but I uh, I have to meet my husband….he'll be quite upset if I miss our date." She spoke quickly, rambling over the lies with a slight tremor audible in her voice.

Brightening, only slightly, the old man patted her hand and smiled knowingly as he said, "I understand…young love and all."

Relieved, she said, "Yes, and again…thank you for your kindness. Goodbye now." Sliding from the booth, she rose quietly and lingered a while, a soft smile flashing to the elderly man.

A cool blast of air washed over her as the door to the diner was savagely ripped open behind her. Turning, she was met with the sight of a gun barrel and the grisly thug holding the gun up to her face. Distantly she heard screams as shots fired, more thugs entering the diner with guns blazing.

"Get down on the ground, all of you!" The thug growled, pressing the cool barrel into her cheek with a malicious grin. Behind him, the other thugs savagely shoved the other diner patrons to the ground with little mercy.

Frozen in her place, she quelled the shaking of her hands as she spat to the sweat-drenched ruffian, "Get your hands off me! Who do you think you are?"

The gun cocked loudly next to her head; the sound rang in her ears as she gulped, a fine collection of perspiration collecting on her forehead. Spitting with unabashed malice, the thug growled, "I said get on the ground."

Impatient, he slammed the side of his gun into her cheek and threw her to ground. Pain shot through her head as she collapsed against the tile; blood began to pool in her mouth as she raised her eyes wearily to the man towering above her. Holding his gun loosely in his hand, he gestured to the two thugs standing unmoving behind him.

They moved forward, machine guns strapped to their chests with ammo bulging off their belts as they stepped over the fearful diner patrons to reach the cash register. Swinging their guns to aim at the pretty waitress behind the counter, one thug snarled, "Give us the money, now! We don't got all day!"

Holding a hand to her sore cheek, she crawled up on her knees and cast a desperate glance at the door. Only a second ago her main worry was escaping from the psychotic Goku-lookalike that trapped her in her own home. Now she had to worry about not getting a bullet in her brain. Shutting her eyes as a wave of frustrated tears threatened to spill, she clenched her fists and whispered violently, _"Goku, where are you?!" _

"So…" Bardock murmured absently, glancing over the bustling city with a furrowed brow, "where did you run off too, huh?" Pressing the button on his malfunctioning scouter for a quick reading, he paused mid-flight and set his hand on his waist with a loud exhale. A soft beep chimed from the scouter, indicating the location of his target not far from his current location.

"There you are." He said, his eyes narrowing as he flew over the cityscape in a quick blast of energy. With a cold breeze washing over him as he descended over the destination of his target, he was met with the sight of flashing lights of the police below. Landing midst the shouts of panicked cops, the muscle-bound Saiyan crossed his arms over his chest, gazing at the shot-up diner with little humor in his eyes.

"E-excuse me , sir-" A young cop spoke up, his eyes wide in shock at the monstrous size of the strangely-clad Saiyan, "y-you can't be here, it's a restricted area!"

"Fools," Bardock snarled beneath his breath, his frustration mounting as a gun fight ensued between the local authority and the well-armed thugs that had taken control of the diner. Quickly reassuring that this indeed was the area in which Chi-Chi had escaped too. Swallowing back a snarl of frustration, he glared over at the cop, who had now gotten braver and took hold of Bardock's arm, as if to lead him away from the fray.

"Sir, you really can't be here!" The cop said more firmly, flinching each time a stray bullet neared the two. Clenching his fists, Bardock glanced up as he sensed a well-aimed bullet heading straight for him. Forcefully shoving the cop away, he swung his hand up to catch the bullet between his fingers as if it were child's play. With a grim look of unabashed violence, he flicked it away, sending it careening toward the shooter with the precision.

The cop, having been slammed into the car with the strength of a super human, stood up weakly from the twisted hull that was his car. He stared in wide-eyed fear at Bardock as he screeched, "What are you?!"

One of the bandits stood up, opening the door to the diner as he called out, "Quit firing your guns, or we'll shoot her! We'll shoot her right in the head! Quit shooting now!"

Held roughly by the throat with a gun forced against her temple, Bardock spotted the woman, Chi-Chi, frozen in the door of the diner with the bandit behind her. A cop to his right, still caught up with adrenaline, fired a stray shot at the bandit that just barely swiped past Chi-Chi's head. She flinched, biting her lip as she refrained from speaking.

Bardock, torn, watched the proceedings with a vein pulsating madly on his forehead. His skull pounded with the beginnings of a headache as panicked thoughts scrambled through his mind. If she was killed, finding the Saiyans would become twice as difficult. His mission would be delayed, and he couldn't afford to waste time. He'd wasted enough time getting to this planet as it was, he couldn't afford to scour the entire city searching for the other Saiyans.

"Put your guns down!" The thug screamed, his finger trembling on the trigger of the gun pressed against Chi-Chi's head. "You know what we want; give us the money and let us go, the girl lives! Make one wrong move and she's dead!"

He clenched his jaw; roused from his thoughts, he cast a scathing eye at the loud-mouthed thugs. Despite his irritation, he couldn't let her die. Bardock sucked in a breath, swallowed his disgust, and strode forward as he uncrossed his arms.

A policeman, huddled down against the bullet-scarred hull of his car, stood up as Bardock passed and shouted, "Hey, moron, get out of here! This is a dangerous area!" Undeterred, the Saiyan ignored the cries of the men behind him, keeping his attention solely focused on the thug standing in the doorway of the diner.

The thug, in response to Bardock's approach, stepped back and held Chi-Chi tighter as he snarled, "Stay back, or she dies!"

Moving forward as if the thug hadn't spoken, Bardock sneered, "You coward; hiding behind a hostage instead of fighting like a man."

"S-stay back, I said!" The thug fired off a shot at Bardock, his hands shaking mildly.

Bardock didn't even flinch; as the bullet screamed toward him, he deflected it with the side of his hand, sending it smashing into the cop car behind him. A billow of smoke belched from the hood of the car, followed by the appearance of flames. In a thunderous boom, the car exploded behind him.

Debris fell around the Saiyan, who barely flinched as the car exploded.

In contrast, the thug trembled in the open door, his eyes wide in terror as the monstrous man approached him.

"G-get back!" The thug screamed, pressing the barrel of the gun back against his hostage's head, ignoring her small whimper of protest. Moving ever closer toward him, the panicking bandit shut his eyes as he screeched, "I-I warned you!"

He gently squeezed the trigger; in his arms, Chi-Chi shut her own eyes, tears welling up behind her eyelids as she prepared for the worst.

A sharp pain exploded from the base of his neck; eyes rolling into his skull, the thug collapsed to the ground.

Bardock, suddenly standing in the open doorway, caught the shell-shocked Chi-Chi in his arms as she fell.

"Y-you…" She began, her eyes as wide as saucers as she limply rested in his arms.

Bardock merely cast a passing glare in her direction, his jaw clenched. Beneath his breath, he muttered, "Pathetic humans."

Distracted, Bardock was late in noticing the alarmed beeping of his scouter as three massive powers descended right on top of him. But as the sharp squeals of his scouter broke him from his thoughts, he had little time to prepare.

"Let go of my wife!" The shout echoed loudly over the street; instantly, the chaos quieted in a still awe as they beheld the three warriors, clad in martial arts gi's and glaring in unabashed fury at Bardock.

"G-goku…" Chi-Chi tearfully cried out from Bardock's arms, a large grin breaking out over her face.

Bardock, becoming aware of the woman in his arms, grunted with an amused smile.

"Well, well, well…" He said, throwing back his head as he surveyed the man, teenager and child. "Goku, huh? Interesting name they chose."

Goku stood, his fists clenched as he spat angrily, "What are you talking about? Put my wife down, now!"

Bardock raised a brow, chuckling to himself as he commented mildly, "You really don't know, huh? I suppose it's not surprising, but still."  
Glancing down at Chi-Chi, who now struggled in Bardock's arms, he continued on, "Either way, it's nice to see you. I've been hunting you down for a while now; I almost lost hope of ever finding another Saiyan." As he finished, he roughly set down Chi-Chi.

Lunging from his arms, she ran forward, tears streaming down her face as she launched herself into Goku's arms, sobbing all the while. "Oh, Goku….I'm so glad you're home….h-he showed up at the house one day, demanding to see you…" She cried quietly, resting her head against her husband's shoulder.

Holding her gently, Goku kissed the top of her head as he said with a barely contained anger, "Is that so?"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Bardock surveyed the happy reunion with obvious contempt on his face.

Across the way, Goku glared at Bardock as he snarled, "Leave now while you still can, you scum."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Bardock commented, idly tapping his fingers against his bicep as he continued, "You see, I need your help with something, as much as it pains me to say."

"I don't want to help you," Goku said through gritted teeth, his eyes narrowed angrily. "I said, leave now."

"And I said, not possible." Bardock glanced over at the two boys to Goku's side, tilting his head as he thought to himself.  
Slowly swinging his gaze back over to Goku's, he said more seriously, "I've wasted too much time hunting you down as it is; I came here with a mission that I intend to keep, and I'll be needing the help of you and the remaining Saiyans on this planet."  
Stepping forward towards Goku, Bardock continued, "Not that I care much for this planet, but it's currently in an immense danger. The universe, as well."

"Wha…what do you mean?" Gohan spoke up beside Goku, his eyes narrowed in obvious distrust.

Bardock glanced over at Gohan as he spoke, crossing his arms again, "Long story short, an ancient king of a far-off planet has landed here, seeking vengeance and all those sorts of things. He's trying gain power, reclaim the throne that was torn away from him."

"How do you know?" Goku asked incredulously, his curiosity drowning out his anger.

Bardock glanced over at Goku, the corners of his mouth turning up as he replied, "That's part of the long story; I don't have time to explain right now. I can explain everything after we've tracked him down."

Goku narrowed his eyes, shaking his head as he said, "Why should I believe you?"

"What could I possibly gain from kidnapping your wife only to give her back to you?" Bardock snapped back, clenching his jaw. Exhaling quietly, he said more calmly, "Besides, would I lie to my own son?"

_To Be Continued_


	6. Chapter 6

_a/n- Not as pleased with this chapter, to be honest…I felt I could've done better, but this weekend I found myself a bit busy with my friends and such. Despite this, I would like to thank those that reviewed the story; I love to read what you all have to say! C: And again, I apologize for this particularly dull chapter…I promise to make the next one more interesting._

Enjoy, guys!

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_One Hell of a Trip_

The words hit him like a punch in the gut; tumbling around in his mind, the same phrase steam-rolled over any other thought that stood. Momentarily, Goku flashed back to the arrival of his brother Raditz. Standing with the same dark look, same wild hair and similar outfits…it shook him to the core, breaking up the stability he'd always found solace in; the simple knowing of the vast stretch that divided him from his Saiyan family.

"No," Goku said firmly, looking deep into the eyes of his father, "As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a father." Bardock said nothing. The other Saiyan simply stared on, his eyes steeled over and the small hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips in what could only be amusement.

"I know what our people did," Goku spat, disgust dripping off his voice, "what _you_ did…killing off entire planets for money…for Frieza."

Bardock visibly flinched at Frieza's name; the mention of the warlord brought back many unpleasant memories, including flashbacks of Planet Vegeta's final moments…

"As if you know!" The other Saiyan violently snapped, his eyes flashing in uncontrollable rage, "You weren't there to see Frieza betray us, to see him slaughter our people without batting an eye."

"I don't need to have been there to know you're just as bad as him." Goku snarled back, tightening his hold on his wife absently.

"_Frieza! Get your ass out here, now!" Bardock hovered before the spaceship, his armor beaten and ragged from the intense fighting it took to get him here. _

_Floating up from the ship as carefree as could be, Frieza flashed a contempt smirk down at Bardock as he said, "You must be Bardock." Tilting up his head as he surveyed the Saiyan, Frieza continued with a teasing chuckle, "I implore you to watch your tongue…wouldn't want to lose such a good solider like you because of some poor manners now would we? Anyway…what can I help with you?"_

"_Why…why did you attack us?" Bardock demanded, "We were working together! We were on the same team!" _

"_Working together?" Frieza repeated scornfully, "Fool; I was merely using you Saiyans."_

_Settling back with a smoldering look on his face, Frieza continued just as light-heartedly, "And recently, you Saiyans have become an eyesore…so I've decided to eradicate you all, Planet Vegeta and all." _

"_Wha-?! Y…you bastard!" Bardock snarled, lunging forward with a forming energy blast in his palms as he spat, "I'll never forgive you for this!" _

_Frieza chuckled darkly, his eyes narrowing in evil delight as he pointed his finger upward, forming a massively powerful blast that hovered just above his fingertip. _

_Yelling in a rush of anger, Bardock swung his hands forward, a brilliant blaze of power screaming from his hands and towards Frieza. _

_Grinning wide, the powerful warlord flicked his finger, sending the immense ball of power rushing forward, consuming Bardock's blast. _

"_N-no…" Bardock said, his eyes wide, watching the powerful blast loom closer. Barely missing him, the blast rushed past Bardock, hurtling toward Planet Vegeta. _

_He glanced over his shoulder at his home planet, eyes wide in shock and anger. Behind him, he heard Frieza speak, "Plus, there's the rare chance a Super Saiyan might appear…I can't risk that chance, now can I?"_

_The blast slammed into the surface of Planet Vegeta; caught up in the fierce explosion, the last thing Bardock remembered seeing was the brilliant white light that shone as his home was savagely ripped apart…._

The memory faded as quickly as it came. Hands shaking, Bardock squeezed his eyes shut as the final screams of the dying Saiyans faded out in his thoughts.

"I am nothing like Frieza," Bardock spat darkly, his eyes venomously glinting as he glared up at his youngest son.

Goku curled his lip, knuckles white and hands clenched as he responded back, "So you say."

"_Frieza! How could you?!" _

"_Frieza, don't do this!" _

"_No, Frieza, please!" _

Bardock dug his hands though his hair, squeezing his eyes shut as images of his former team flashed before his thoughts, as the screams of his fallen comrades echoed brutally in his mind. From the chaotic jumble of his mind, one sole image presented itself.  
His son, Goku, fighting Frieza midst the crumbling remains of some distant planet Bardock didn't recognize. The fight faded slightly, each blow and blast streaming and blurring into one, until the mess cleared itself, and Bardock could see the severed body of Frieza, lying dead at Goku's feet. With a cold chill seeping over his body, he glanced up into the eyes of his son, who stared back with a mixture of rage and curiosity.

"You killed Frieza." Bardock said, his voice quiet and drawn.

Goku furrowed his brow, confusion and surprise muddling up his features as he responded, "Yes, I did." More assuredly, he continued, "He killed my friends and tried to make himself immortal…I had to stop him, or the universe would have his for the taking."

Bardock paused a while, gazing thoughtfully at Goten and Gohan. Flitting his gaze back over to Goku, Bardock asked with his usual growl, "Including you, I can remember at least four Saiyans leaving for missions on other planets, which would've left them alive until now." Pausing again, Bardock glanced again at Goku's sons before continuing on, "I heard a rumor the remaining Saiyans were on this planet. Who else is here, besides you and your half-blood sons?"

Goku glanced at Gohan at Goten, as if remembering they were there. Slightly off guard, Goku responded with a suspicious look, "Only Vegeta and I are left; Raditz arrived a few years ago, but he threatened the life of my planet." Narrowing his eyes in a pointed look, Goku continued, "Nappa originally came with Vegeta…he was killed, too, after they killed most of my friends. We let Vegeta go, but we're on good terms now."

"Vegeta…as in, Prince Vegeta?" Bardock asked, suddenly becoming alert.

"Yeah." Goku said, growing bolder as he called out, "Wait...you...you don't care about Raditz? He was your son, too!"

Bardock absently glanced at Goku, disrupted from his thoughts at his call. Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "He was a grown man who fought his own battles. Obviously, he lost."

"Yeah, I…I suppose so." Goku said, eyes narrowing distrustfully at his father.

"Where is Vegeta?" Bardock said, glancing over at Goku as he finally pulled himself from his thoughts.

"Why do you want to know? So you can recruit us to fight this…'king'?" Goku's voice questionably called out, suspicion still running rampant through the Saiyan's mind.

"I told you, I have my own reasons for wanting him defeated," Bardock reminded with a contemptible tone, "but yes, essentially, I need help defeating him. He's too strong to fight on my own, otherwise I would."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense…" Goku drew off, his anger gently slipping away from him. "But, who is he? Why is he on Earth, if he is…was, the king of some other planet?"

"Long story short, his planet was eradicated after a mutated disease ravaged the lives of his people and himself. He survived his planet's demise, floating amongst the remains of his planet as a formless black ooze. Reports of a disease similar to the one that destroyed his planet began appearing throughout the surrounding planets." Bardock explained, "And the same thing will happen to Earth if you don't help me find him."

"Are…are you serious?" Gohan exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.

Bardock rolled his eyes, snapping out with as much sarcasm as he could muster, "No, I came all this way to pull a prank." Clenching his fist in a feeble attempt to control his anger, he spat out venomously, "Are you going to help me or not?! He could be infecting the people of this planet as we speak!"

"Dad?" Goten inquired, tugging gently on his father's uniform with a questioning look in his eyes. His father stood, jaw clenched with a vein pulsating in anger on his forehead.

"Gohan, take your mother and Goten home." Goku said, settling his hard gaze on his eldest son. "Then come back and find me…if you're right," He glanced over at Bardock as he continued, "then we'll need all the help we can get."

"I want to help!" Goten protested hotly, gripping his father's uniform tightly, tugging more fiercely. "I'm strong enough to help! You said I was stronger now, you can't send me home!"

"Goten, enough." Chi-Chi reprimanded, stepping away from Goku with a tight look on her face, "Listen to your father."

Sulking, the young half-blood stepped away, his arms crossed angrily over his small chest as he drifted up into the sky. Looking grim, Gohan stepped towards his mother, gripping her gently as he ascended.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, father!" Gohan called out as he shot into the distance.

Relieved, Goku turned to his father. "I still don't trust you, but I guess under the circumstances I have no choice."

"No, you don't." Throwing a scowl over his shoulder, Bardock said, "Not if you care for your planet as much as you say."

King Dust was angry. With his half-sane mind contained in the semi-solid black ooze that remained of his physical form, he had little on his mind but his unearthly hunger. Now, though, as he was sealed behind the thick glass dome in Capsule Corp, he found his mind consumed in a thick cloud of rage.

He barely recognized anything around him; all his mind was focused on was his rage and the hunger that plagued his sanity. It didn't help that the blue-haired woman kept coming around…staring at him, as if gloating in his imprisonment.

It made him angry.

Fitfully spreading out his black form, he shoved himself against the glass, but to no avail. In his weakened, starved state, he could barely concentrate his semi-solid form at all. It took more out of him than he thought…hissing and boiling, he felt his anger churning deep inside his crumbling mind. It boiled and burped, foaming over in a violent mess as it intertwined with his insane hunger. Hissing again, he struck out more powerfully, cracking the glass dome.

He paused, his mind working fitfully. If he could just escape, he could eat. He could regain his strength…but more importantly, he could eat.

Calling up his anger, he struck out again, but made no real damage to the crack. Spitting angrily, he struck out again, and again; slamming his oozing body against the crack, his consciousness hazed over into a thick fog of anger and hunger.

The glass shattered beneath the force of his final strike; with glittering shards of glass cascading around him, King Dust found himself free.

And hungry.

Hissing in delight, he slid across the ground like molasses, following the faint thrum of voices that weakly echoed in his mind.

"Y-yes…yes of course…" The sharp trill of a young woman's voice echoed from the hallway, followed by the clack of her high heels against the ground.

_Hungry_, his mind hissed.

The young woman paused, shifting the cell phone against her shoulder, gathering her clipboard up against her chest. Seizing his chance, King Dust slid up the wall behind the young woman. Unaware of King Dust, she leaned against the wall, sighing beneath her breath as the dull drone of the man on the phone continued on.

"Yes…I'll get to it right away, I promise."

So close…so close now, King Dust shivered in delight, creeping up the wall hurriedly towards his prey.

"Yes, sir…I...I understand, sir."

_Hungry…_His mind moaned as he slivered up wall right next to the young woman's shoulder.

She had little time to prepare for the attack; one moment she was listening to the incessant droning on the phone, the next a sharp flash of pain hit her neck, stunning her.

Glancing over, she saw a black liquid huddling on her shoulder right next to the blood pooling from a small wound in her neck. A scream slipped off her lips, but it was too late. King Dust, fueled by the woman's blood, began to grow and shift, wrapping himself around her neck and soundly choking her. Silent, she fell to the ground, her sightless eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Hissing with pleasure, King Dust began to feed…

_To Be Continued_


	7. Chapter 7

_a/n – Hello everyone! :D I meant to upload this earlier but I had some writers block and couldn't find the will to write this chapter xD As always, please feel free to leave a review or favorite this story, and enjoy!_

_One Hell of a Trip_

"So," Bardock said casually, "I would suggest we go find your friends and get this bastard as soon as possible." Arms crossed across his chest, he glanced across the street, meeting Goku's steely gaze as he did so. The corner of his mouth lifted up slightly, in something akin to amusement.

"Yeah," Goku murmured, his attention drawn away from his smirking father. "I guess we could stop by Capsule Corp. first...I'm not sure how we'll get the others, though." Stroking his chin absently, he continued on, "If we're truly running out of time, I guess it'll just have to be us...hopefully, though, Piccolo and the others will sense the fight and come to use." He sheepishly shrugged his wide shoulders, floating up into the air as he did so. Sensing Bardock rise up next to him, Goku shot off into the distant towards Capsule Corp., where the monster had already began to lay siege.

"Bulma?" Vegeta gruffly barked down the empty hallway, his own words cruelly echoing back. Hands swinging loosely at his side, the Saiyan paused, sighing in frustration. "Blast, where is that damn woman?" He hissed to himself, stomping forward again. Abruptly, his pace lurched to a halt as his foot caught on the prone body lying at his feet. Unbeknownst of this fact, Vegeta caught himself and spun around to find the dead woman sprawled out on the hard tile. Recognizing her as an assistant of his wife's, he leaned down with furrowed brows, brushing his fingers against her cold throat.

Coming up down the hallway behind him, Bulma's heels clacked angrily against the tile as she cheerfully chirped out, "Yes, Vegeta?" Screeching to halt at the sight blocking the hallway before her, she leaned forward over his shoulder, blue eyes wide. "What happened?" She whispered, unaware that the girl was deceased as she bent down to shake her gently by the shoulder. "Are you alright, sweethe-" She cut off suddenly, her eyes focused on a small incision in the girl's neck.

Vegeta barely glanced over at Bulma as he stood up, arms crossing over his chest. "Don't waste your breath, she's dead." Focusing in on the small wound in the dead girl's throat, Vegeta caught a glimpse of a black blur slipping from the corner of his eye. Glancing up, he saw nothing, though his suspicions were raised considerably.

"What's that?" Bulma whispered, half to herself. Leaning forward, she prodded the blood-encrusted wound gently, eyes wide. Turning to glance over at Vegeta, she gave a sharp intake of breath. "She was killed, wasn't she?" She asked, her jaw dropping as the realization struck her. Without pausing for an answer, she sat back on her knees, eyes wide in shock. "I wonder what happened..." She said, biting her lip.

Vegeta gave a simple shrug of his shoulders, thoughtfully staring down at the dead woman. Unbeknownst to the both of them, a dark shape silently slid down the hallway, away from the scene of the crime.

"Whoever did this couldn't have gone far," Bulma murmured, covering her mouth with her hands. Pulling her hair back over her ears, she stood up, clutching Vegeta's arm as began to take charge, saying, "Vegeta, take her out of here before someone else comes along; we don't need everyone to start panicking." Setting her hands on her hips, she bit the side of her thumb as she began thinking. "I'll call the cops, and you go put her in the lab here until they get here." She said, gesturing to the lab that had once contained King Dust.

Grunting in acknowledgement, he bent down, scooping up the dead women easily. He couldn't help feeling slightly disturbed glancing down at the dead girl; with cold, almost gray skin, lifeless eyes staring absently at the ceiling and a mysterious wound in her neck, the presence of the body did much more than raise a few suspicions. Who in the hell had killed her, or was her death just an accident? Shaking off the questions brewing in his mind, Vegeta entered the lab. Beneath his foot, he heard the loud crunch of glass. Furrowing his brow, he moved his foot aside to see a large array of broken glass scattered across the tiled floor. In the hallway behind him, Bulma gave a sharp intake of breath.

"It's gone!" She shrieked, shoving past him and the glass to rush to the containment unit that once held the mysterious ooze, otherwise known as King Dust. Shoulders tensing, she glanced over at the dead girl in Vegeta's arms, her eyes widening with horror as the mind began making connections. "Do you think...?" Bulma whispered desperately, holding a hand over her slack jaw.

Setting the girl down on an empty table in the lab, Vegeta turned to Bulma and stared hard the broken glass dome. Frustration boiling up inside him, he snapped, "How the hell am I supposed to know? Call the damn police already, we'll figure it out later."

Fearing the worst, Bulma complied silently, calmly informing the police that they had discovered a dead girl in the hallways of Capsule Corp. The officer hurriedly told her they'd be on their way as soon as possible, though to expect a delay, as most of the police forces were downtown in response to a robbery gone wrong. After the call was done, Bulma turned to Vegeta again, lost in her frantic thoughts. "Let's hope I'm wrong..." She said, exhaling loudly as she slumped against the counter, exhausted.

Arriving on the Capsule Corp. grounds midst a slew of police cars, Bardock dryly commented, "Are those damn idiots everywhere around here?" With his feet firmly on the ground, he stared over at Goku, arms crossed. "So, he's in there now?"

"Uh..oh, yeah, he is!" Goku said after a distracted moment of glancing around at the swarming police. In the doors ahead of him, the Saiyan spotted Bulma and Vegeta, standing side by side midst a crowd of police officers and the press. "There he is now!" He said, waving his arm above his head as he called out, "Hey, Vegeta, over here!"

"Well, I'll be damned." Bardock muttered beneath his breath, staring over at the Saiyan prince with a narrowing of his eyes. "Looks just like his old man."

"What do you want, Kakarot?" Vegeta called out dryly, barely glancing in the direction of the Saiyan. As his gaze focused on the orange-clad warrior, Vegeta was met with the shocking presence of Bardock. Recognizing him as a low-class Saiyan warrior, Vegeta swore beneath his breath before shoving through the crowd towards them.

"We need your help." Goku explained as Vegeta neared them. Before he could get in another word, Vegeta stared incredulously at Goku's father as he stood next to them.

"Bardock?" Vegeta said, eyes narrowing as he spat out, "What's next, my damn father's going to show up? Why the hell are you alive?"

Bardock gave the Saiyan prince a cold glance as he said, "We don't have time for a damn reunion. I wasted enough time already." Turning to his son, he snarled, "We need to find this bastard already."

Utterly confused, Vegeta snarled, "Find who? Kakarot, what the hell did you get yourself into now?"

Raising up his hands as if to smooth over the increasing tension, Goku explained, "My father..er, Bardock, came to hunt down this guy uh...what did you call him again?" He turned to his father, but quickly continued as he received another withering glare. "Oh, right, well...I guess it doesn't matter...but he's a king of some planet who suffered from a disease...Bardock says that he's currently on Earth, and the same disease that killed his planet will kill Earth if we don't stop him." Growing more serious, he continued on with a fierce glare at Bardock, "Apparently this 'king' is too powerful for him take on by himself, so he needs us...though, after kidnapping Chi-Chi I'm not too sure I should even trust him."

"Save your damn pride, we have enough to deal with as it is." Bardock said through gritted teeth, turning to Vegeta as he growled, "If you care for this planet at all, you'll come with us."

"Damn it, Kakarot." Vegeta snarled impatiently, glaring over at the younger Saiyan angrily. "I suppose I have no choice...though it would save me from dealing with the chaos going on behind me." Running a hand through his hair, he exhaled furiously as he finally relented, saying, "Fine, I'll help you idiots." Glaring over at Bardock, he questioned darkly, "Where the hell are we supposed to find this king, then?"

Bardock, glaring back with his own dark look, responded with a bit of bite to his tone, "That's why I didn't want to waste anytime...I haven't got a damn clue where the bastard is. He has no power to give off that I can track."

"Uh, Vegeta..?" Goku asked, his voice drawn of his former anger as he peered around Vegeta's shoulder at the cops surrounding Bulma, "What's going on?"

Before anyone could speak another word, a jarring scream sounded from inside.

Raising their heads, those present were met at the sight of a young man rushing down the hallways, his skin an unhealthy pallor, flesh bubbling with swollen purple lumps the hue of a fresh bruise. Screaming, he held a hand to a dark mound wrapping around his neck, then fell to his knees suddenly, his lifeless eyes staring at nothing. Behind him, more people began rushing out, each matching with gray skin and bruise-like bumps on their flesh.

"Damn it!" Bardock swore, "We're too late!" Clenching his fists, he raised up one hand, firing off a series of blasts at the diseased people rushing from the doors. Each one hit its target; thudding to the ground, a sudden silence overcame the grounds as victims of King Dust's horrid disease grew stiff lying against the unforgiving soil.

"You monster!" Goku snarled, turning to his father, horror and anger in his dark eyes. "You killed them!"

Unconcerned with his son's anger, Bardock explained with a small spike of frustration in his tone, "They're infected...King Dust must be around here, then." Lifting up his hand again, he fired more blasts at the dead bodies, incinerating the corpses without batting an eye. "There; they shouldn't infect anyone else now."

Across the way, King Dust rose from his meal, growing stronger. Hissing pleasantly, he expanded out his oozing form, taking on the crude shape of a human. _"Come to me...feed your king!" _He whispered in savage excitement. Stretching out his arm, he caught a young police officer by the throat, his toxic, semi-solid flesh burning through the young man's skin. Screaming in his grasp, he was instantly silenced as King Dust slipped his arm around his throat, cracking his neck.

"M-monster!" Another police officer cried, taking aim and firing a quick blast of bullets at King Dust. To his surprise, each bullet simply struck him harmlessly before being absorbed into his dark flesh.

Feeding off the dead human in his grasp, King Dust struck out at the surrounding men, shooting out black, oozing tendrils of his flesh that quickly trapped the policemen. Cracking each of their necks with relish, the monstrous King began his savage massacre, his dark gaze meeting those of Bardock, Goku and Vegeta, who each stared on in horror.

_To Be Continued_


End file.
